


day fourteen

by julek



Series: Winterfest 2020 [14]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Comfort, Gen, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Walk in the snow, Winter At Kaer Morhen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28080711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julek/pseuds/julek
Summary: Eskel and Jaskier take a walk around the keep.
Relationships: Eskel & Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Winterfest 2020 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2041318
Kudos: 46





	day fourteen

Eskel found Jaskier in the library, sitting on a windowsill with a pen in his hand and a somber look on his face.

“Hey,” he said quietly as not to startle the bard. “Wanna go for a walk?”

Jaskier gave him a small smile as he nodded, and hopped off the sill to pull his cloak over his shoulders. They made their way through the silent keep, passing through the kitchen, where a freshly baked loaf of bread sat on the table, sadly unattended, as Vesemir had probably taken Geralt hunting with him. They pushed the back door open and stepped into the courtyards.

Snow was falling in thick flakes, already covering the grounds in a pristine white layer. The wind was howling but it wasn’t too bad yet — the first few weeks were still mild compared to the middle of the winter, when snow covered the pass and there were storms that raged on outside almost daily. They walked in silence until they reached the stables, following a trail surrounded by pine trees, green leaves barely visible under their white coat. 

“This is beautiful,” Jaskier murmured, his hands in his pockets as he looked up at the open sky, now framed by dark branches. 

“Yeah. It’s really peaceful out here.”

They walked deeper into the woods, the sound of their boots heavily falling against the ground accompanied by the far cries of a goldfinch. As they passed a fallen tree, Eskel took a piece of bread out of his pocket and offered it to Jaskier.

“Are you feeling okay, bard?” he asked gently.

Jaskier’s scent had lingered in his mind, heavy and thick on Eskel’s tongue, the smell of smoke and salt rolling off him in waves, a stark contrast to his usual lavender and honey, sometimes too sweet around the edges. The bard had taken to his chores with enthusiasm at first, though the last few days dark circles had appeared under his eyes, even though he slept more and more every day. He worried for him, knew a keep full of witchers paled in comparison next to the warmth of Oxenfurt, where his friends and colleagues surely provided finer company than they ever could.

Jaskier swallowed, then smiled softly. “I haven’t been feeling myself lately,” he said. “It happens, sometimes— especially during the winter.”

Eskel nodded, a silent invitation for him to continue.

“It gets dark too quickly and everything falls silent and, uh— it’s stupid, really.”

“It’s not,” Eskel said, immediately. “It’s not stupid.”

“I guess I do better in sunnier weather.” Jaskier laughed quietly, and kicked a pebble with the tip of his boot. “It’ll pass, though. It always does.”

Eskel knocked his shoulder against Jaskier’s. “We’re here for you. Whatever you need.”

Jaskier smiled and knocked his shoulder back. “I know. Thank you.” 

They made their way back to the keep in comfortable silence, and the heaviness in Jaskier’s scent receded the slightest bit. In the kitchen, Eskel stoked the fire and Jaskier sat down by the hearth, wrapped in a thick fur blanket, and Eskel was about to offer him some ale when they heard Vesemir’s voice echo through the walls. 

“Lambert!” he shouted.

There was a shout back from Lambert’s room. “What?”

“Why the fuck did you take my bread?”

Jaskier and Eskel shared a look. “Should we say something?”

“Nah,” Eskel waved him off. “This will be fun.”

**Author's Note:**

> follow this series on [tumblr](http://julek.tumblr.com/tagged/winter%20prompts)!


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